Leeds United: Striker Somma’s career on hold after latest setback

Davide Somma.

Davide Somma’s Leeds United career is on hold again after the striker began a fresh period of rehabilitation from long-standing knee problems.

Somma is back in the hands of United’s physiotherapy staff having failed to recover fully from the knee operations which consigned him to more than 18 months on the sidelines.

The South African international fought a long battle to regain his fitness after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage in July 2011 and he returned to United’s first team in December during a league game against Middlesbrough.

He made further appearances after Christmas and was used briefly in Leeds’ recent FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur but manager Neil Warnock left him out of last weekend’s clash with Cardiff City and is presently excluding Somma from his plans.

Warnock said: “He’s just having to slow down a bit. He maybe wanted to come back more quickly than he should have done and he’s doing more rehab at the moment.”

Somma, who signed a three-year deal with Leeds in October 2010, has started only one game during Warnock’s year a manager, a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on December 29.